


That Night, Again

by Nothing_but_the_Rain



Category: Starfighter (Comic)
Genre: Blood - as in the comic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 14:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/688193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_but_the_Rain/pseuds/Nothing_but_the_Rain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Praxis' post traumatic stress nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Night, Again

**Author's Note:**

> The dialogue marked with an asterisk is directly from the comic. And obviously the scenario is from the comic.

 

Black. Dark. Total darkness. Smothering  him, chocking him.

Then an incessant noise. _Words?_ he thinks. But he can’t decipher them and it’s still so dark; and there is pain. _Gods_ it hurts. Such pain in his head.

He tries harder. Willing the black away. Searching for air for his lungs and meaning in the noises in the dark.

_Warning! Warning! Full life support failure in seven minutes and ten seconds._

_Shit!_ He struggles with the dark behind his eyes. The in-flight computer’s automated warning system clamouring for his attention finally brakes through the ringing in his ears and the fog that is clouding his mind.

He coughs on the smoke filling the cockpit and gasps out loud at the pain in his head, the sick wet feeling of liquid dripping down his face.

_Warning! Warning! Full life support failure in seven minutes exactly._

_Fuck! The hell happened?!”_ Reaching up to his face with one gloved hand he feels a mess where his eye should be, gingerly he pulls his hand away, it is slick with blood.

Groggily looking about him at the sparking, smoking controls he tells himself to get it together. They have been hit and if they are going to live they needed to get it the fuck together. Because one thing is for sure, they haven’t got long; if it isn’t another hit from a Colteron fighter, then they will be destroyed by their own sides anti-matter cannon blast long before the life support fails.

“Hay Ethos!”  Coughing again on the smoke he called again, “Ethos! We need to get moving and get back to base or we’re dead!”

Receiving no answer he calls his navigator again; “Ethos!”

_Warning! Warning! Full life support failure in six minutes and forty five seconds._

Praxis turns trying to see behind himself in to the navigator’s cockpit, with his mind groggy and vision newly limited this is not so easy. “ _Eth...”_ The name dies on his lips and he breaths “Shit.” A wave of nausea rises in him and he feels himself go cold.

Ethos lays sprawled over his navi-controlls in a pool of blood.

He says his name again, pointlessly, _knowing_ it’s pointless, “E-Ethos.”

 _Warning! Warning! Full life support failure in six minutes and thirty seconds._ The computer calmly reminds him.

Praxis wipes at the blood running down his face. “Focus or you will be dead too.” He reminds himself. Tapping on his control panel he attempts to regain control of the craft. Nothing. Also he was getting the distinct impression that they were starting to spin.  _Engine’s blown_.  Even if he can access the controls he wants he wouldn’t get them out of here in time to escape the anti-matter cannon.

The computer happily confirms that the engine is out and reminds him of the time remaining until his ultimate demise. “Yes, thank you.” He mutters dryly, continuing to tap at the controls.

The proximity warning starts blearing and two green dots appear on one of his working screens. “Oh excellent, Colteron fighters.”

Over the coms come the words he has been waiting for “ _Anti-matter cannon’s firing in two minutes.”*_

He returns his attention to the controls attempting to get any control.

“ _This is CC to the ship Tiberius. Your life support is failing. Get back in formation!”*_

He almost laughs at this. _Yes I’m aware,_ he thinks.

“I can’t sir. My navigator’s dead! The engine’s blown. I’m dead in the water!” He gasped a breath, “There’s two enemy ships heading toward me...”*

Sighing he realises he is almost resigned to the end and he feels a slight lightness in his chest that he will at least see _him_ again.

Then over the coms, like music to his ears. “ _Tiberius. This is the Reliant! We’re coming to you!”*_

His mind almost goes blank as he hears the voice of his rescuer. He is shocked that someone wants to help, that someone will risk themselves for him.

“ _Tiberius, you must reroute all auxiliary power to the burst thrusters before that canon goes off.”*_

Salvation? No voice apart from _his_ had ever sounded so sweet.

“But those two ships...”* Praxis replies.

“ _You worry about the thrusters! Leave the ships to us!”*_

Working furiously he attempts to reroute all available power to the burst thrusters.

Joy fills him. “I got power to the thrusters...”*

He hears nothing. Then cold hard laughter.

And he is standing in the void of space, heart pounding, full of pure panic and dread.

The face producing the laughter is in front of him.

The snarl that curls the man’s lips has nothing to do with humour, “What did I tell you. The one with the scar... Don’t look at him, don’t touch him...and don’t fucking talk to him!”*

Cruel fingers grip his shoulders then release and his is falling, falling through blackness. The last thing he hears is _his_ voice calling his name.

Praxis slams upright in bed, sweat pour off him, clutching his chest. He brings one hand to his eye. Still gone. So that much wasn’t a nightmare. He takes some deep breaths to steady himself. Checking the clock he sees it’s too early really to wake up, but too late to sleep again and he knows he won’t get back to sleep now anyway. Sighing he gets from the bed and makes his way to the shower.

A tear leaks from his one good eye at the memory of _his_ voice.

**Author's Note:**

> Since posting originally I've edited to bring the dead navie's name in line with the comic, going by the assumption that fighters keep the same code name and navies change.


End file.
